Comedy with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, drags on a bit and completely unbelievable but I did laugh out loud a few times, which is more than can be said of most of the 'comedies' that have been spewed out in the last couple of years

A very good Sci-Fi movie on the cerebral scale made almost perfect by Amy Adams top notch performance. Director Denis Villeneuve really nails this with a message that puts humanity on the spot whilst delivering an intriguing and delicate but emotional climax. I was still still thinking about this long after it concluded on a few levels and that for me is the sign of a great piece of cinema.

8.5/10 - Should have a few nods for the awards season but I suspect the 'dahlings' will go all out for La La land as it fits their idea of cinema

I like Tom Cruise in everything. This was alright, some good actions scenes and a reasonable story but wasn't as good as the Mission Impossible films for me. The last 15 minutes really let it down for me. The final big fight scene I was just sat watching it thinking 'why is this happening??' (the woman was stood ten feet above them with two guns, she would have just shot the bad guy!)

I wanted this film to be more than it was, which was a teen/high school movie about a load of kids playing part in a sort of cyber game of dares. The premise was interesting, one that could easily have been a black mirror episode, but the execution was not what I'd hoped for.

That wasn't the films fault, and once you accepted it for what it was then it was an OK watch.Hell or High Water 7.5/10

This was excellent. A story of two brothers who decide to go on a bank robbery spree in order to repay debts they owe to the self same bank they were robbing. Its gets even more complex than that and the story has a well written conclusion. A proper film. Good story, interesting characters and well played by the actors.

Watched this having read TJ's review and I thought it was quality. Extremely clever use of time paradoxes, something I love in my sci-fi, which was beautifully disguised throughout the film. Whenever you start watching a film of this specific genre, where Aliens of some description arrive on our shores, you do wonder where its going to take you. This has been done millions of times. Sometime the aliens are hostile, sometimes they're friendly, sometimes they're mysterious. Where this film goes is entirely original.

A moody film with a real sense of scale. A wonderful lead in Amy Adams. A film you need to work hard at to understand. Top stuff.

Watched Trainspotting for the first time in prep for the second and thought it was about time I'd seen it. I've obviously missed out all these years, and can understand why it's a cult classic. Brilliant.

I'm not really into sci-fi stuff and didn't fancy this from the trailers or posters. It is excellent. Some will prob watch it and say hmm it was alright, but I thought it was very good. Amy Adams is good in it, I'm not sure I bought Jeremy Renner or Forrest Whitaker in it.

It's obviously bat-shit crazy, but it's sci-fi and I guess this is as good/plausible an estimate at what could happen as anyone else could come up with. The sounds in it are excellent, as is the score overall, particularly the last 5mins or so.

Won't put any spoilers in but I was really affected by the ending, I haven't been like that on an ending of anything since Six Feet Under (which has the best ending of any TV show I have seen). I'm a fanny anyway, but since having kids I'm worse, I was a mess at the end and as someone said, was thinking about it for hours afterwards.

Very thought provoking film, if this is how peoples' lives are then I am more fortunate than I realise. Some of the scenes are pretty upsetting particularly the one in the food bank. I know they are there to make a point, but I personally think the authority figures are hammed up a bit too much, they would be out of work themselves if they spoke to people the way they do in this (or if they are true depictions, then f... me.). Felt it lost its way a bit for the last 15 mins or so, the big scene with the spraypaint I thought was a bit cringey and I saw the ending coming before it happened. Definitely worth a watch though.

SILENCE - 3.0

Honestly wish I had not bothered. I am a massive Scorcese fan, but this, by far, is the least I have liked any of his work. Very very long, very slow, very boring. Every now and then an actor appears who gets a load of plaudits and praise but I just cannot get away with them - current example of this is Andrew Garfield. Didn't like him in Spiderman, don't like him in this or Hacksaw Ridge which I am halfway through. His accent in this is absolutely dreadful. Adam Driver is one of my favourite actors of the last few years, but even he I didn't buy in this. Just awful, could not recommend this to anyone, save 2h40m of your life. The only good bits are the examples of historical Japanese torture, not sure good is the right word but eye opening

Watched Trainspotting T2 last night. Fantastic film. Brilliantly wrapped up, and had numerous nods to the first film, as well as references to scenes in the book which did not make the first film. Brilliant.

LTS_3 wrote: I know they are there to make a point, but I personally think the authority figures are hammed up a bit too much, they would be out of work themselves if they spoke to people the way they do in this (or if they are true depictions, then f... me.).

100% true I'm afraid. The film was put together from real life instances and testimonies from people in the exact same situation as Daniel was. I think the reason for your reaction, which is understandable, is that you don't want it to be true. How could one human treat another in such a way? Unfortunately its happening every day. I think there was some balance portrayed in the film for the employees in the DWP by the lady who wanted to help, but was chastised for doing so. She also attended Daniels funeral, which I thought was a nice touch. (hiding this bit as it gives away the ending of the film)

I was nervous about watching this. Trainspotting is easily in my top 5 films of all time so I was concerned that its legacy would be tarnished by the follow up. My worries were misplaced.

I saw it two weeks ago, on opening night, and have thought about it a lot before writing this review. I think the way the new film tidies up the fours lads' stories was excellent. You learn lots about them, particularly in the years before the first film was set. There are lots of re-caps from the original, and loads of scenes that are referenced too. Its very much a nostalgia trip and it really doesn't hide away from this.

The advancements of Danny Boyle's film making skill set is also evident. Its well put together and is as slick and stylish as the first. My only criticism is that on occasion I think it relied on the first film a little bit too much, loads of scenes were re-shown and I would have dialled that down a bit. That said, the way it ends was great. Really ties the two films together and helps you to get a full picture of the lads' lives.

La La Land 6.5/10

I liked this but not as much as I was expecting. I don't "get" jazz, its really not my taste in music at all, and I think that's what took the edge off a bit for me. Its beautiful to look at; it should nail the cinematography Oscar. Vibrant colours and well lit scenes(which is important to me in films). Its a little slow and the musical numbers are more spread out than I'd have liked. Emma Stone is fantastic, Gosling was OK.

Its nothing more than a love story, with some tunes interspersed throughout. Not a film you see made these days and this fact is why I think it has caught the attention of the awards ceremonies. It harks back to a different age in film making and that nostalgia is why I think it has received so many nominations for awards, despite it being a fairly ordinary film. IMHO of course.

WalterWhite wrote:Looking for a film recommendation, it doesn't have to be new and don't even mind going as far back as the 80's. I'm not really too fussed about genre, but would like to avoid sci-for, sorry tj

Whenever this question is asked, my go to response is "Glengarry Glen Ross"

The most beautifully lit film I've ever seem with some of the best acting performances too. Amazing cast, brilliant story.

Relfy I always knew you were a man of exceptional taste. A classic film.....Lemmon is superb in this.

A couple of years old but a really decent horror film. Pretty much goes straight into it....no major explanations, no solving any kind of mystery of how to stop 'it'. Really nicely filmed too. No major bloody and gore, no things jumping out and trying to scare you. Just that feeling of utter despair about knowing no matter what you do you cannot really stop 'it'.

Absolutely class, kids film but plenty in there for adults, I think I laughed more than my two boys

NOCTURNAL ANIMALS - 7.5

Jake Gyllenhaal (sp), Michael Shannon and Amy Adams all play good parts - bit of a crazy set up with three stories being told within the film but I liked it. Starting to fancy AA a bit after Arrival and this ...

HACKSAW RIDGE - 6.0

Found it really really cheesy/corny/AMERICAN. Garfield I just cannot get away with. Vince Vaughan I didn't like as the drill instructor, it was as if he had watched all the other ones in movies and tried to copy all of them at once. The worst aspect for me was the dramatic deaths, i.e., every person who gets shot doesnt just drop to the floor they do somersault backflip pirohuettes and then land on the floor. Simply not in the same league as Saving Private Ryan or Band of Brothers

PassengersI'd rather hoped this outing with Chris Pratt and Jenifer Lawrence would hit all the highs as they seem to have a great chemistry when fooling around on the celebrity treadmill. The actual on screen chemistry though failed to sizzle and whilst the film had great visuals and a plausible script of sorts, it just failed to launch. It is not a terrible film, indeed the time passes fairly quickly with both leads doing what they can with the material even if it is somewhat predictable. Its greatest failing though is that just when it gets interesting, it ends and answers none of the questions you might ask about the journey following events (no spoilers).

6.5/10 - Too little, too late, with a conclusion that seemed rushed and left me unsatisfied.

Not sure how true to life it was or if it was blockbuster-ised but the rig toward the end looked like the gates of hell or something. Everyone round here will know at least one lad who works offshore, more likely ten, but makes you think that they are earning danger money as well as living away from their family

TRAINSPOTTING (1996) - 5.5

I was only 16 when this came out, and for some reason I never fancied it or made myself watch it until the weekend, was sick of hearing everyone going to see the new one and saying how good the original was. Judging this as my first viewing, it must be nostalgia. Just didn't do it for me at all, a lot of things I disliked about it including the glamourising of smackheads/drug scenes etc. The baby scene was vile and then 'so I had another hit' which no doubt got cheap laughs from a bunch of 18 years olds watching it. Not bothered if I don't see the sequel til 21 years from now or never

I thought this was poor. A unnecessarily convoluted love story, set on a space ship. On occasion it looked impressive but that was its only redeeming feature.

With around 5 minutes left I turned to the wife and said "if we stopped watching this now, I don't think I'd be in the least bit bothered" which speaks volumes. The way it ended was intensely annoying. If the writers care so little about their characters that you're left to use your own imagination to finish the story they started, then how is the audience supposed to enjoy the film? I couldn't have cared less.

Korean zombie outbreak film, good story, good acting and probably the best/most agile zombies I've seen - The Walking Dead would certainly be more entertaining if they had them. No doubt will get remade/ripped off by a US company and not be half as good, like The Raid, Old Boy, The Ring etc etc

The Great WallThis is so much of a mess that you almost enjoy the sheer absurdity of it. I thought I'd seen most things on film but women doing bungee dives from ramparts with spears to try to kill powerful, savage, many toothed monsters was a new one for me.The visuals and colours are stunning in terms of scenery and display but the CGI is so overdone it drags it back immediately, whilst the story / premise is pure cheese. The action is pretty standard stuff for creature movies these days - nothing epic just repetition. Matt Damon as lead for the Western actors is less than convincing, but the Chinese actors come across a bit more solid in performance terms especially Jing Tian as the female lead of one of the military commands.

5/10 - for the visuals and because I was ready for a bit of old fashioned kick ass, large scale action...but Lord of The Rings it is not.

LionBased on a true story and magnificently played by Dev Patel, this is an emotional journey that draws the viewer in and pulls on the heart strings. The gritty portrayal of child poverty (and abuse) on the streets of Calcutta is unflinching as is the overall tenet, but the story as played is uneven and there is a tendency to perhaps overplay the story for sentiment when the impact was better played for realism.

That said it is powerful and the actual footage at the close serves as a testament to the story and journey undertaken by Saroo.7.5/10 - Not mawkish or overly manipulative but does tend to play on emotion - a very good performance by Dev Patel with some great photography.

People could well watch this and think nothing happens, I don't really know why but I liked it. Casey Affleck is good in it, won the Oscar so must be, and I like seeing small American towns and peoples' way of life which this does. Pretty horrendous main scene right in the middle, if somewhat a little unbelievable.

I'd recommend you watch it, but wouldn't be surprised if some switched it off

Watched this as it was written by the same guy who wrote Hell or High Water (Taylor Sheridan) which I loved and it was directed by the same fella who did Arrival (Denis Villeneuve) which I also thought was great. So, the credentials were good.

This film however, wasn't good. I found the story a little too simplistic and there were no plot twists or turns. The character played by Emily Brunt was a massive piss-ant. I couldn't believe someone who was an FBI agent was so weak willed and easily dominated. Totally unbelievable.

The film lacked a focal point, it switched from seemingly focussing on one character through 75% of the film only to then drop this character and move on to another. The direction felt aimless at times and given the story was pretty ordinary it didn't really engage.

Get Out - pretty much flawless, excluding one daft bit right at the end which, even though they'd successfully explained the logic behind it, was still definitely daft. But that's a throwaway ten seconds in an otherwise great movie - it's tense, brilliantly paced, the big reveals are nailed on, performances are great (especially Kaluuya) and I found the conclusion hugely satisfying.

That it confronts inherent liberal racism/fetishism of POC is the cherry on the cake. Awesome, go see it.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - it's fine, I guess. I mean, the final third is a big CGI mess (the opening two thirds are a slightly smaller CGI mess), Chris Pratt is the weakest leading man in the MCU and the plot/character driven stuff isn't up to the same standards set by earlier films in the MCU (no wild twists like Iron Man 3 or Winter Soldier, no personal drama like Civil War, just the odd quip and some slightly stilted banter). It's quite funny though.

If you've liked the Marvel stuff so far, then it's OK. It's not Doctor Strange, Thor 2 or Iron Man 2 level "meh", but it's probably closer to the bottom of the pile than the top.

This is touted as the swan song for Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart and if that is the case then they can both relax in knowing that their final effort is the real deal. Without going into detail, this shows the aftermath of the heroes as their age and battles have caught up with them and it does so with an unflinching and in some cases uncomfortable take on life.

An older, gnarly Jackman holds up the film with an R rated savage and yet at times visceral performance, helped by a great script and well crafted screenplay and tight direction by James Mangold. This does not hold back on the violence or language and indeed some scenes are as brutal as those found in many a horror film outing, the action is explosive when it comes but is sandwiched between slow paced character building drama which in this case works extremely well.

The ending when it comes is what you would expect from one of the best characters in any of the superhero universes...no tears here but saddened by the loss of Jackman as Wolverine.

9/10 - Gritty film with a well played if unexpected take on ageing and illness, this has intensity and violence aplenty along with brilliant direction matched by the performances of Jackman and Stewart.

I think my main problem with this is that for some reason I had the impression/had picked up that it was a horror film. Over an hour in I was still thinking 'where tf are the scares?!'. It's not a horror film, it reminded me of like creepy older films about cults and stuff, but it's not a straight horror film.

I quite liked it overall, but thought the reveal/ending was quite rushed after a long build up. Some funny bits in it aswell and I my favourite character was the main lad's mate. Allison Williams is nectar as always

I think as long as you start watching it NOT thinking that it's an actual horror film, you'll enjoy it.

PS if you want more of a horror film, Don't Breathe and The Autopsy of Jane Doe are the best Ive seen in the last couple of years

SPLIT - 7.5

James McAvoy is excellent in this, plays a bloke with 23 personalities, my favourite of which is a 9 year old kid who sounds a bit like an early Mike Tyson. Keeps saying etcetera at the end of sentences which made me laugh. Anya Taylor Joy (from The Witch) is the other main character in it, another good performance from her. Definitely worth a watch

I thought I posted this here first a few weeks ago, but for whatever reason that didn't happen - posting again in retrospect

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - One More Time With Feeling

This is a naked, intense but beautifully done portrait of Nick, his family and the band at a time of extreme emotional turmoil.

On a professional level his relationship with Warren comes through very clearly but the band as a whole are affected and involved in the rethinking of the creative process. On a family level, both Nick and Susie his wife are so open it is quite staggering and very poignant, but they are clearly struggling. Their comments throughout are incisive, honest, dignified and expressive with grief at their core. You can feel them both trying to come to terms with things but Nick in particular seems slightly unravelled and still searching for some meaning to anchor him back to a changed reality.

I don't have a point of reference for his work in creating an album to compare before the catastrophe that befell the family but the sense of sadness and pain is palpable. A very brave piece of work.

Wife was dying to watch this so watched it with her, I love all Disney original movies, some of the live ones have been better than others. This is a good version of the original, not sure how much is real/CGI but some of the sets/locations are amazing.

The beast looks good, Gaston (not Ramirez) is class and some good parts played throughout. For me, Emma Watson isn't good looking enough to be Belle, I actually fancy the cartoon version more than her in this and when the Beast turns back at the end he's an absolute drip

This started off really funny. Lots of deliberately awkward scenes, Brad Pitt running with bow-legged style, some utterly bizarre characters. Ben Kingsley as Hamid Karzai is hilarious, the first word you hear him say is fuck and it descends from there.

Throughout the first 90 or so minutes I was giggling all the way. Given it was set, mainly, in Afghanistan at the height of the coalition occupation this did surprise me a little.

Then, pretty much out of nowhere the film changes. There is very dark, very real scene involving a troop of US soldiers who are tasked to take control of a village in Helmand. All of sudden the tone changes, it becomes much more serious and the laughs stop. It becomes a different film and I'm not sure it worked. It was quite jarring shifting from a light hearted, comedic look at an Army general and his immediate cohorts, to something much more dark and morally challenging.

I enjoyed it but this transition from one genre to another was odd to say the least. Deffo worth a watch, for Pitt and Kingsley's performances alone.

Yep he's back and using the same stylistic moves and fabulous back scenes as before...sure it's the same action but that isn't a bad thing right? Actually the team have done their best to make this look fresh, and whilst the killing is frenetic, it doesn't feel that repetitive.

The action choreography is well done and pretty much non-stop, whilst the story gives it something to hang its hat on with a little black humour to go. As you might expect from a Keanu Reeves character there is very little dialogue (also a good thing) we just get the brutal violence in all of its glory.

8/10 - Enjoyed this one possibly better than the first...and movie news is saying there will be a third outing...not sure who will be left to kill at this rate!

Really enjoyed this after the first 20 mins or so setting the story. The monsters were absolutely class and most of them completely surprising. Was miles better than I thought it was going to be, even the wife got into it

WHY HIM? - 7.0

James Franco and Bryan Cranston in one of the better comedies/romcoms of the past few years. Normally find kids annoying but the young lad in this was quite funny and the daughter is a looker too. Prodcued by Ben Stiller and Jonah Hill

Kong Skull IslandI quite enjoyed this for the most part, the exceptions being the formulaic soldier against the beast thing which destroyed most of the (already well extended) credibility along with the best /human thing towards the end. That aside it was pretty tight and had a couple of decent monsters - though I did think there was scope for more of that to be explored.

Acting was middling for the most part and the humour sparse, but the cinematography and effects were pretty well done.

7.0 - Worth a watch and has it's moments until the Hollywood formula kicks in.

Comedy starring John Hamm, Zack G from The Hangover, Isla Fischer and Gal Gadot. Was watchable but only a few funny bits tbh

DESPICABLE ME 3 - 7.5

A couple of new characters in this who are both very good, Dru who is Gru's long lost twin brother and the new villain who is played by Trey Parker from South Park is excellent - he is based in the 1980s so there is a lot with him that will be relevant to parents who end up watching this with their kids.